Freight-car.



No. 665,07l. Patented Jan. I, I901.

F. A. DELANO. I

FREIGHT GAR.

(Application filed Oct. 11 1900.)

(No ll odel.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

' Patented lanf 'l, I90l.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. V

F. A. DELANU.

FREIGHT CAR.

(Application filed Oct. 11, 1900.)

II o u No. 665,07l.

I (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIO A. DELANO, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRElG HT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Iva 665,071, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed October 11, 1900. Serial No. 32,697. (No model.)

To all whom it may conccrm Be it known that I, FREDERIC A. DELANO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of freightcars known as coal-cars, which are adapted for the carrying of coalthat is, cars which have platform, side, and end po'rtionsand particularly to the arrangement and construction of the end portions, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient freight-car with block-braced sides and drop end doors.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in a car provided with side portions having inwardlyprojecting braced blocks at the ends thereof and a drop end door at each end pivotally secured to the car between the inwardly-projecting braced blocks.

The invention consists, further, in a car in which there is combined aplatform, side portions, inwardly-projecting triangular blocks, diagonal braces secured to the side of the car and passed over thetriangular blocks and secured to the underframe of the car, and drop end doors pivotally secured to the platform of the car between the triangular blocks, substantially as described.

The invention consists, further and finally, in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of two cars constructed in accordance with my improvements, showing the position of a load thereon; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a portion of a car'constructed in accordance with my improvements; Fig. 3, an end elevation, partly in section, looking at the car from lines 3 3 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4, an enlarged elevation of a portion of the car looking at it from line 4 of Fig. 6; Fig. 5, a sectional detail taken on line 5 of Fig. 4; Fig.

6, a plan sectional detail taken on line 6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 an enlarged detail of the mechanism by which the drop end door is hinged to the underframe of the car.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that cars of this type--that is, cars having a platform and side and end portionsare used principally for carrying coal and similar material and that it is desirable to have such cars provided with what are known as drop end doors, so that long lumber, telegraph-poles, and anything of that kind can be loaded in the car. There are many objections, however, to this style of car as now constructed, one of which is that when two cars are loaded, as shown in Fig. 1, to carry long lumber or rails if such rails or long articles are allowed to impinge or rest against the sides of the cars they make them stiff, so thatthey have great difficulty in passing around curves or throw such a strain on the sides as to wedge them out or derail the cars. Further, the mechanical men of the railroads have always objected to making cars of this type with drop end doors in that it is very difficult to hold the sides of a high-capacity car vertical even with closed ends, and when drop ends are provided such difficulties are largely increased.

The principal object of myinvention, therefore, is to provide a simple, economical, and eflicient car of this type which will remove the objections above noted and provide a car with drop ends for carryingcoal or long articles on one, two, or more cars, all ofwhich will more fully hereinafter appear.

In illustrating and describing my invention I have only illustrated and described that which I consider to be new, taken in connection with so much that is old as will properly disclose the invention and enable those skilled in the art to practice the same, leaving out of consideration other and well-known parts, which, if illustrated and described herein, would only tend to confusion, prolixity, and ambiguity.

In constructing a car in accordance with my improvements I prefer to use a car having a body portion composed of the usual center sills a, side sills b, end sills c, and platform d, all constructed in the usual manner. This platform and supporting structure are mounted in any ordinary manner upon the usual trucks, having car-wheels e, the details of which it is unnecessary to illustrate or describe here.

The platform of the car is provided with vertical side portions f, in which the usual intermediate tie-rods are dispensed with, but in which some of the posts g go down below the side sills, so as to give a strong heel or brace to the sides. The sides are tied together by tie-rods h, arranged at or near the floor-level, which assist in bracing the sides together.

In order to further brace the sides and prevent bulging or wedging of the same in carrying long articles or a load of any nature and at the same time provide drop end doors, triangular blocks 2' are provided, which project inwardly at or near the ends of each side of the car. These triangular blocks, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, are made in several parts secured together in any desired manner and are also securely braced against the side and platform portion of the car by means of the brace-rods j, which are secured to the sides of the cars outside the triangular blocks by means of bolts or lag-screws passed up over the end of such triangular blocks and down diagonally in a groove on the exposed edge of such triangular blocks and through the end sills, as shown in Fig. 3, to which they are secured. These blocks not only eiiiciently brace and hold the sides vertical, but furnish projections against which long articles rest, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to minimize the danger of bulging or wedging. The diagonal braces have a double function also the bracing of the blocks and the forming of a guard to protect the exposed edges of the triangular blocks from wear.

A drop end door 7.: is provided and hinged or pivoted, by means of the links Z, to the end sill of the car, such links being passed through elongated slots formed by straps on on the drop end door, so that such door may be raised first and afterward dropped down against the inner platform of the car. These end doors, as shown in Fig. 7, are arranged in a slanting position, extending outwardly at an incline to the Vertical, and are also provided with metallic flanges 11., impinging against wear- .plates on the triangular blocks, as shown particularly in Fig. 6, so that when the car is loaded the load presses against the door to force it outwardly, and thereby assists in placing the sides of the car in tension and helps to keep them straight.

There are various advantages incident to a car constructed in accordance with these improvements which are apparent to those skilled in the art, the principal ones of which are the-providing of a coal-car with side and drop end doors so braced that it may be used to carry heavy loads, the protecting of the sides in such manner that long articles are prevented from impinging against the sides, and thereby the danger of bulging, wedging, or derailing of the car is minimized, and the providing of means by which the door when under load tends to place the sides under tension and keep them straight.

I claim 1. A car of the class described provided with sides, inwardly-projecting portions at or near each end secured to the sides and car-body so as to brace the sides and prevent long articles from resting against the sides, and drop end doors pivoted to the platform of the car and arranged to swing between the side portions, substantially as described.

2. A car of the class described provided with a platform portion, side portions secured thereto, inwardly-projecting triangular portions braced at each end to the sides and to the body portion, brace-rods secured to the underframe and passed down diagonally over the triangular blocks and secured to the end sill of the body portion, and a swinging door hinged to the platform between the triangular blocks and resting against the same when in its closed position, substantially as described.

3. A car of the class described provided with a platform portion, side portions secured thereto, posts secured to the side portions and passed down below the side sills of the body portion, tie-rods tying the sides together at or near the fioor-level, triangular blocks extending inwardly from each end of the sides secured to the same and to the platform, brace-rods secured to the sides passed down diagonally in a groove in the exposed edges of the triangular blocks and through the end sill of the platform portion to which it is secured to brace and protect the triangular blocks, and end doors pivotally secured to the platform portion between the triangular blocks and arranged to contact the same in an outward'slanting position, substantially as described.

FREDERIC A. DEL ANO.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, HARRY IRWIN ORoMER.

ICC 

